Angular JS is described by its creators as ‘what HTML would have been if it had been designed for building web-apps’. This JavaScript based, front-end web application framework didn’t just make waves when it was released in 2009; it practically caused a metaphorical tsunami. Its popularity soared rapidly and its libraries increased exponentially. It looked like it was here to stay.

But just when programmers everywhere were getting to know and love Angular JS, Angular 2 was announced in 2014. Far from being an update to the much praised framework however, Angular 2 was a complete rewrite of it with no backwards compatibility. As with any major change, many people’s noses were knocked out of joint. Why fix something that isn’t broken? Why no transitional period? Why such drastic developments?

Now that Angular 2 is finally here, is all the controversy justified? The short answer is no. Angular 2 is awesome. Different yes, but still awesome. Here’s why you need to jump on the bandwagon before it leaves town…

It’s Even Better than Angular JS

We could be here for hours if we outlined all of the differences between Angular JS and Angular 2. Like we said, it’s a rewrite rather an update. There are of course similarities and the roots are the same, but the two are basically separate entities.

Despite all the fanfare it received, Angular JS did have its faults. These faults have been specifically addressed in Angular 2. For a start, 2 is laser focused on the development of mobile apps, which JS never was. To improve JS’ sometimes lacklustre performance, various modules have been removed from Angular’s core to an ecosystem of modules instead. Everything is still at your fingertips, but the framework as a whole runs more smoothly.

Angular 2 has gotten with the times more so than its big brother. $scope has been replaced with ES6 classes to allow easier development, more focus on code, and no more need for those various hacks and workarounds for JS.

It’s a Game Changer

Here’s the big one; Angular 2 is firmly rooted in component-based web development. In other words, it’s perfectly lined up with the future of web development. Web components separate the concerns throughout a given system and allow for segmentation within an app, so components can be written independently of one another. JS required an entire stack of components to be written in Angular. 2 requires nothing else to be written in Angular.

In a nutshell this means greater code reusability and abstraction, since functionality is bundled into small components. As apps get more complex and languages become more diverse component-based web development is becoming more and more prominent. So Angular 2 is much more future-proofed than its predecessor. In fact is Angular JS had stayed the way it was, it arguably may have encountered serious problems before too long. Just saying.

It Has the Best of Everything

Angular 2 takes the best ideas of many other frameworks and combines them all in an efficient, easy to use development environment. It abstracts away all the most difficult and annoying parts of web development allowing you to focus on functionality and code. It’s easy to use other people’s components regardless of the framework they used. And we’ve already covered the fact that it’s faster, cleaner, easier to use, component-based and perfectly positioned for the future of web development.

2’s creators knew exactly what they were doing. They knew their fans would be highly critical of such a change. But they also thoroughly researched every tiny detail of Angular 2 and always kept the end goal in sight; to make web development and Angular easier, not harder. It’s different, sure, but once you get to know it you’ll love it more than JS – we guarantee.

It Does it All

With Angular 2 you can learn one way to build applications, and then reuse that code to build apps for any platform – web, mobile web, native mobile or native desktop. It builds fast and powerful web apps and offers great scalability potential. Build various features quickly with declarative templates and an endless choice of existing components.

Oh, and remember when we mentioned Angular 2 is a game changer? That can only be fantastic news for job seeking programmers. It may have a ‘love it or hate it’ fan base now, but we can guarantee the landscape will look a lot different in a couple of years time. Trust us; learning Angular 2 now, before it gets as popular as its predecessor, is a sure fire way to boost your employability.

Interested in learning Angular 2? Take our Angular 2 Crash Course now and find out everything you need to know in a matter of hours!